Anyone who picks up a guitar and feels six strings hum knows the first question isn’t theory — it’s which chord to press. This guide connects the usual starter pack of G, C, and D — the shapes Martin Guitar’s tutorial recommends first — to tab reading, song-friendly progressions, and the folklore behind nicknames like “Satan’s chord,” so you’ll know which chord to learn first, which to reach for next, and how to practice each one.
Standard guitar strings: 6 ·
Standard tuning: E-A-D-G-B-E ·
Core open major shapes: C, A, G, E, D ·
Diatonic triads in a major key: 7 ·
Tritone nickname: diabolus in musica
Quick snapshot
- A chord diagram shows the strings, fret positions, finger placement, open strings, and muted strings (School of Rock’s beginner chord resource).
- Guitar tab uses six horizontal lines that represent the six strings (Encyclopaedia Britannica’s tablature entry).
- Whether G-C-D or A-D-E is the “better” first family is a song-selection choice, not a fixed rule (Songcage’s songwriting guide).
- What counts as the “saddest,” “rarest,” or “most beautiful” chord is subjective, not a fixed musical fact. (Songcage’s songwriting guide)
- Open chords come first; barre chords are usually introduced after basic open-chord technique (Berklee Online’s guitar notation guide).
- Basic tab may omit rhythm, so pair it with an audio reference while you learn a song (Encyclopaedia Britannica’s tablature entry). (Berklee Online’s guitar notation guide)
- After G-C-D, the A-D-E family gives you a second common three-chord starter pack, which Songcage’s songwriting guide also highlights. (Martin Guitar’s tutorial)
- Chord charts usually pair chord names with a strumming pattern, so the next song doubles as a practice partner (Martin Guitar’s tutorial).
Six strings, one standard tuning, five core open shapes, seven triads in a major key, and a nickname that sounds like medieval gossip — these are the reference points that keep chord charts short.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Standard guitar strings | 6 |
| Standard tuning | E-A-D-G-B-E |
| Core open major shapes | C, A, G, E, D |
| Diatonic triads in a major key | 7 |
| Tritone nickname | diabolus in musica |
| Beginner-friendly open set | G, C, D, A, E, Em, Am |
What’s the easiest chord on a guitar?
Ask five guitarists and you’ll get five answers, because the friendliest chord changes with your hand size and the music you want to play. In practice, the beginner set is a small family of open chords, and School of Rock’s beginner chord resource points to G, C, D, A, E, Em, and Am as the commonly taught ground floor.
That set includes E minor and A major side by side, which is why so many easy songs move between a dark-sounding chord and a bright-sounding one without leaving the first position.
“Easiest” is a sequence, not a single chord. Learn one open family first, and the rest of the open-position chords become variations on the same hand shape ideas.
The pattern: The friendliest chord shifts with the song you want to play, but the open family stays the same — clean notes beat speed every time.
How to read guitar tab?
Tab turns the page into the guitar neck: six lines, one per string. In standard orientation, the top line is the high E string and the bottom line is the low E string (Berklee Online’s guitar notation guide). You don’t translate notes into note names first — you just read the fret numbers.
- Numbers on the lines are fret numbers, not pitch names. 0 means play the open string, and numbers stacked vertically mean the notes are played together as a chord (Encyclopaedia Britannica’s tablature entry).
- Chord diagrams are the same logic seen as a shape: vertical lines are strings, horizontal lines are frets, and dots mark where your fingers go.
The implication: tab solves “where do my fingers go,” not “how should this sound.” Use it to find the frets, then let the recording set the rhythm.
What is a chord progression?
A chord progression is simply a sequence of chords played one after another, usually repeated to form the backbone of a song. Songcage’s songwriting guide points to the G-C-D family as a common three-chord grouping built from open shapes.
What is the saddest guitar chord progression?
- The sad side usually comes from minor chords; the beginner-friendly set includes Em and Am.
- Descending bass lines and slower changes make a progression feel heavier, but “saddest” stays subjective.
What are the four chords to creep?
- “Four chords to creep” is an informal phrase, not a formal music-theory term.
- Popular four-chord loops often use the I–V–vi–IV pattern; the same shape repeats in different keys.
The pattern: progressions turn chord shapes into sentences. Once you know three open chords, you already know the grammar for thousands of songs.
What song has only three chords?
Rock, pop, and folk are full of three-chord songs, and most stay inside the open-position shapes you’ve already met. The engine is usually I, IV, and V — G, C, and D in the key of G.
- “Twist and Shout,” “Louie Louie,” and “La Bamba” all run on that same I–IV–V engine with different rhythms on top.
- The A-D-E family gives you a second route through the same idea (Songcage’s songwriting guide).
What are the easiest songs to play on guitar?
- The easiest songs keep the changes slow and the rhythm regular, so your hand has time to land each shape.
- Chord charts usually pair the chord names with a strumming pattern — use that pattern to practice timing from the first play-through.
Three chords aren’t a beginner’s compromise; they’re the structure under thousands of hit records. Master one engine and the song library opens immediately.
Why this matters: Song choice is the hidden teacher. A song with three open chords and a slow tempo teaches you transitions without a single drill.
What is the creepiest chord on guitar?
Every chord carries a mood, and one interval carries a reputation that outlived the Middle Ages: the tritone, nicknamed “diabolus in musica” — the devil in music. The nickname is lore, not a formal chord symbol, but it tells you everything about how the interval feels.
What is Satan’s chord?
- In guitar folklore, “Satan’s chord” usually describes a dissonant voicing built around the tritone, not a chord symbol from a theory textbook.
- Diminished and augmented chords sound unstable because of that same tension, which is why they show up in eerie soundtracks.
What is a Jesus chord?
- “Jesus chord” is an informal name that appears in forum threads and chord dictionaries; the exact chord changes depending on who you ask.
- The same chord can sound sacred in one song and unsettling in another, because context, not the shape, decides the mood.
What is the rarest chord in music?
- Rarity isn’t a measurable chord quality; it’s a function of how often composers actually choose a voicing.
- Some extended chords exist in theory books but almost never in songs, which is why “rare” stays a listener’s word, not a theory grade.
What is the most beautiful chord?
- Guitarists often describe major seventh and add9 voicings as the most beautiful — Cadd9 is a common favorite.
- There’s no objective winner; “beautiful” is a decision about context and taste, not a chord’s official grade.
Chord nicknames travel by word of mouth. “Satan’s chord,” “Jesus chord,” and “the four chords to creep” are flavor text, not formal music theory — use them to find sounds you like, not to win a theory quiz.
How to practice your first chords: a five-step loop
This five-step loop takes about ten minutes, and it beats a week of random chord hunting.
- Pick one family. G, C, and D are the starting set recommended by Martin Guitar’s tutorial.
- Place your fingers with a chord diagram: strings run vertically, frets run horizontally, and the dots show where each finger lands.
- Strum slowly and check that every intended note rings clearly (Martin Guitar’s tutorial). Speed comes after clean sound.
- Switch between two chords — G to C, then C to D — until the change feels calm, not rushed.
- Add a song that uses only those chords; song charts usually show a strumming pattern to keep time.
The buzz-killer for beginners is finger placement, not finger strength. Check the diagram’s X and O marks to know which strings to mute and which to let ring.
The trade-off: Three chords practiced slowly feel boring for a day. They also build the muscle memory that makes every later chord — including barre chords — noticeably easier.
What’s confirmed and what’s still unclear about guitar chords
The confirmed side is a short, reusable list. The unclear side is mostly the folklore and the subjective stuff.
Confirmed for beginners
- Guitar tab uses six horizontal lines that represent the six strings (Encyclopaedia Britannica’s tablature entry).
- Open chords come before barre chords in most lesson paths (Berklee Online’s guitar notation guide).
Still up for debate
- Whether G-C-D or A-D-E is the better first family is a song-selection choice, not a rule (Songcage’s songwriting guide).
- Whether Em and Am belong in every beginner set depends on the lesson path; difficulty varies with hand size and playing context (School of Rock’s beginner chord resource).
- The exact chord behind “Jesus chord” or “Satan’s chord” varies by source.
- What counts as the saddest, rarest, or most beautiful chord is subjective.
What this means: The certainties are the practical part; the folklore is the fun part. Beginners should build from the certainties first.
What guitar teachers and theory guides say
“The most beginner-accessible open chords generally include G, C, D, A, E, Em, and Am.”
School of Rock’s beginner chord resource
“Fretboard diagrams are related to tablature but rotated conceptually to show chord shapes across the strings.”
Berklee Online’s guitar notation guide
What to watch: Each source agrees on the same sequence: open chords first, clean notes before speed, and tab as a map rather than a metronome.
Summary: why chords, not theory, get you playing
Start with G, C, and D. Read the chord diagram, check each note rings, then move to the A-D-E family and a three-chord song. The names — “Satan’s chord,” “Jesus chord,” “the four chords to creep” — can wait; they’re conversation, not curriculum. For a beginner guitarist, the next move is clear: play three open chords slowly until they ring clean, or keep looking for a secret chord that was never there.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a major and minor chord?
A major chord sounds brighter because its third is four semitones above the root; a minor chord drops that third to three semitones, which makes it sound darker. On guitar, playing E major and E minor back to back makes the difference easy to hear.
How do I practice switching between guitar chords?
Fret one chord, strum slowly, and check that every intended note rings clearly. Then switch to the next chord and repeat. Slow changes with clean notes work faster than fast changes with buzzing strings.
What does a chord name like Cadd9 mean?
Add9 means you’re adding the ninth note of the scale to a basic triad, so Cadd9 is a C major chord with an added D. The number tells you which note you’re adding, not which fret to play.
Can a beginner play barre chords?
Yes, but they take more hand strength because one finger must press multiple strings at once. Most lesson paths introduce barre chords after basic open-chord technique feels comfortable.
What is a capo used for?
A capo clamps across the fretboard to raise the pitch of the strings so you can play the same open chord shapes in a higher key. It’s a quick transposing tool, not a cheat code.
Do I need to read sheet music to play guitar chords?
No. Chord diagrams and tablature tell you which strings and frets to play, so you can learn from charts and tabs without reading standard sheet music.
Victoria Hayes is Editor-in-Chief at Aussie Wire Hub, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and corrections.